The Shrine of Descent spawns on your next normal stage once you hold the N’tormat and at least one Page. Activate it before you start the Teleporter, survive the longer event, and the Ritual Portal that appears takes you to Soulbound Threshold. That is where you unlock Acolyte, and where the secret Providence fight begins. Most players find the shrine without trouble, but some multiplayer lobbies never see it, so I cover that below.
What You Will Read:
How to Spawn the Shrine of Descent
The Shrine of Descent from the Hallowed Concepts DLC looks like a Shrine of the Mountain with a small orb floating above it. Some players describe the orb as a glowing eye. It is tiny, so on a big map like Helminth you may spend a few minutes just looking for it.
To spawn it, you need the N’tormat and one N’tormat Page. For Acolyte, any Page works.
Get the N’tormat and a Page
A Wake event or a Trial gives you both. Wake events are random, so I would not wait on one. The Bazaar Between Time route is the reliable way:
- Go to the Bazaar Between Time and jump down the pit.
- Land on the platform below and hit the Trial Gong.
- Enter the Winnowing and finish the Trial.
- Take the N’tormat and the Page, then go back to your run.
Some DLC stages also have Trial Gongs, and Sundered Grove is one of them. One Trial is enough. Check that you grabbed both rewards before you leave, because the shrine will not spawn without them.
If the Shrine of Descent Does Not Spawn
Most guides call the spawn guaranteed, and plenty of Reddit players agree. Others never see it at all, mostly in multiplayer. These are the causes:
- Mixed-DLC lobbies. One player reported that the shrine appeared after everyone in their lobby bought the DLC. However, Gearbox says only one player needs to own Hallowed Concepts for its content to appear. This may be a multiplayer bug rather than a DLC ownership requirement.
- Trying a second Page. One player reported finding the shrine after collecting a second Page, although only one Page is normally required.
- You already used it. If you activate the shrine and skip the Ritual Portal, it may not come back. Several players say it works once per run.
- Mods. A few players blame them for breaking the spawn.
If none of that fits, search the whole stage again. When it still never shows, a bug report is what other players recommend.
How to Use the Shrine of Descent
Activate the shrine before you start the Teleporter. Then follow these steps:
- Interact with the Shrine of Descent. The message “Soulbinding Trial awaits” means it worked.
- Start the Teleporter. The charge runs past 100% and extra bosses spawn.
- Beat the event and take the Ritual Portal, not the normal exit.
- Climb the ramps in Soulbound Threshold and interact with the console in the middle.
- Clear the four waves of enemies and bosses.
- Kill the Anima Harvester.
This Teleporter event is much tougher than a normal one, so go in with a strong build. There is no deadline for the Acolyte unlock. A stronger build helps more than an early entry.
Some things in the arena can wreck a run:
- The Anima Harvester can turn you into a spirit orb. Float back to your body quickly or you die.
- The pit in the arena kills you instantly, so stay away from the edge as a spirit.
- Some parts of the arena are not stitched properly, and players have fallen under the map.
- Enemies fall under the map in some runs, which can block the final boss.
What the Shrine of Descent Unlocks
Acolyte
After the Anima Harvester dies, Acolyte lies on the ground near the exit portal. Killing the boss does not unlock her. You have to walk over and give her a healing item, which gets consumed. She then shows up in Survivor selection for future runs.
She is easy to miss in the rubble and green light. I saw lots of players walked straight into the portal and lost the whole unlock, which stings. Look around before you leave.
Rarity does not matter, but the item must be a pure healing item:
| Result | Items |
|---|---|
| Works | Medkit, Bison Steak, Leeching Seed, Harvester’s Scythe, Cautious Slug, Power Elixir, Topaz Brooch, Infusion |
| Does not work | Tougher Times, Dio’s Best Friend |
Keep a spare one in your inventory before the fight. Power Elixir can get used automatically when your health runs low, so do not count on it. Artifact of Command lets you pick the item if you want a guarantee.
Providence (Spoiler)
This is a secret boss, so skip the section if you want to be surprised.
The same route leads to Providence if you hold the Page of Reincarnation. Trials and Shrines of Compulsion hand out Pages. The skeleton altar in Wetland Aspect gives a random one too, so it is not guaranteed to be this Page.
Fight the Anima Harvester as normal. When it dies, walk near the center console until a message pops up in chat, then use the Page of Reincarnation. A giant door opens. Go through to Terminal Lucidity, walk across the water, and Providence is there.
Position matters. One player used the Page right in front of the door and nothing happened, and others say you must use it by the altar. The door also stays shut if you carry Dio’s Best Friend.
Risk of Rain 2
